


Eye of the Tiger

by SchalaDresdan



Series: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Heterochromia, M/M, Pre-Grand Prix Final, YOI Soulmate Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25949038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SchalaDresdan/pseuds/SchalaDresdan
Summary: Otabek never forgot the boy whose eyes seemed to mirror his own, but he didn't dare hope that it meant Yuri Plisetsky was his soulmate.
Relationships: Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883302
Comments: 10
Kudos: 76
Collections: Yuri!!! On Ice Soulmates Week 2020





	Eye of the Tiger

**Author's Note:**

> In this world, people are born with two different colored eyes. Your right eye is the color that your eyes are supposed to be. And your left eye is the color of your soulmate’s eyes. When you touch your soulmate for the first time, your left eye changes to your natural eye color. 
> 
> Additional Notes: 
> 
> I tried to use the original dialogue from the show where I could, but it was really stilted in places, and awkward. 
> 
> You do not have to read the first fic in the series to enjoy this one.

Barcelona, Spain  
The Grand Prix Final

Otabek took a deep breath as he stepped out of the elevator and started towards the hotel lobby.  _ I feel nervous… why? What do I have to be nervous about? It isn’t like this is my first international competition. Hell, I won bronze at the World’s last year. Maybe… _

_ Maybe it’s because he’s here. I haven’t seen him for 5 years. I wonder… does he remember me? _

He could hear the chatter of people talking in several different languages at once. And then one voice, speaking in accented English, yelled above the noise, “Don’t diss my fans and call them ugly, you ugly-ass bitch!”

Otabek stopped in his tracks.  _ That almost has to be him. Yuri Plisetsky. The boy with the eyes like a soldier. With eyes like mine. _

He heard a female voice reply, “He’s so scary. Help, JJ.” Her tone was slightly sarcastic, but Otabek knew Isabella well enough that he could tell that she was upset.

Otabek shook his head.  _ I wonder what Jean and Izzy did to set him off. I’ve heard that Yuri has a short fuse. Not like back then.  _

JJ's voice rang out as Otabek moved closer to the lobby. “He’s just jealous because my soulmate is so beautiful.”

Otabek turned the corner just in time to see Yuri point at JJ. “Any guy who wears sunglasses on his head is scum. Too bad you couldn’t find someone better, you ugly-ass bitch!”

Isabella turned her body towards JJ, moving closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her as she said, “Scary…”

JJ smiled a little in an effort to placate Yuri. “Hey, don’t get so worked up.” He paused for a moment. 

Otabek took the opportunity to walk past them and towards the front door of the hotel.  _ I don’t want to get involved with this. Jean’s my friend, and Yuri… I hope that he might be.  _

Before he could make it to the door, JJ called out, “Otabek! Where are you going?”

Otabek groaned inwardly as he stopped and turned his head back towards JJ. He took off his sunglasses and answered, “Out to eat.”  _ Please just leave me alone…  _

JJ asked, “Eating alone? You’re still an odd one, huh?”

Otabek sighed softly. _Jean_ _doesn’t mean anything by that. He was my only friend in Canada, and he knew I preferred being by myself. Especially after he and Izzy found out they were soulmates…_

JJ stepped closer to Otabek. “Want to join us for dinner?”

Otabek held up his hand and started to turn away.  _ He knew the answer before he asked. He knows me.  _ “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

Otabek turned to walk out of the hotel, but his eyes were drawn to Yuri. Yuri, whose eyes were a mirror of his own. Yuri, who met his intense gaze with a look of surprise.

Yuri narrowed his eyes slightly. “Huh? What’s with you, asshole?”

Otabek felt a pang in his chest.  _ He doesn’t remember me. And he doesn’t see it.  _

_ Maybe it was just wishful thinking. He can’t be my soulmate, right? _

He turned away from Yuri and walked out of the hotel into the cold night, his heart aching in his chest.

***

The Next Day

Otabek rode aimlessly around the city, trying to clear his mind.  _ Practice was such a mess. I could barely concentrate, knowing he was so close, and yet so very far away.  _

He shook his head, trying to clear it.  _ I need to get over myself. There’s no guarantee that Yuri is my soulmate. I might just be hung up on someone who is destined to be with someone else… _

_ I’m almost afraid to find out. _

He turned his head, glancing down an alley and noticed a familiar figure duck down it.  _ That’s Yuri, and it looks like he’s trying to hide from someone? Should I turn back? _

_ He might really be in trouble _ .

Otabek turned his bike around and turned down the alley, stopping in front of Yuri. His heart was pounding so hard that he could hear it over the roar of the bike’s engine.  _ This is a mistake… I should just ride away while I still can. _

But instead he found himself using his thumb to point behind him and said, “Yuri, get on.”

Yuri’s eyes were wide. “Huh? You’re helping me…?”

Two girls poked their heads around the corner, looking down the alley. One of them yelled, “There’s Yurochka!”

_ Ah, so he was hiding from his ‘angels.’ I don’t blame him, his fans are a bit… intense… _

The second girl exclaimed, “Huh? No way! It’s Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan!”

Otabek pursed his lips slightly as he reached behind him for the spare helmet.  _ It’s now or never. _

Otabek threw the helmet to Yuri. Yuri, still shocked, caught it as he muttered, “Huh?”

“Are you coming or not?”  _ I can’t force him to come with me, I wouldn’t want to, but… I want a chance. I have to know. _

Yuri nodded as he secured the helmet on his head. “Hell, yeah. Let’s go.” He climbed onto the back of the bike, his hands resting on the seat in front of him.

Otabek sighed softly as he revved the bike and rode out of the alley, no true destination in mind.  _ It’s a start. I just hope it’s not the end. _

***

The sunset painted the already colorful and whimsical park in a deep gold and orange. Otabek took a deep breath as he leaned forward against the balcony. His heart beat painfully in his chest. He didn’t dare look at Yuri, who was standing next to him.  _ So close, he’s so close. And I’m too scared to even speak to him. _

“So, why did you bother?”

Otabek was stunned out of his thoughts. “Hmm?”

Yuri sighed. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. I do. But we don’t know each other. We’ve never met before.”

Otabek hummed softly. “That’s not true. Five years ago, we were both at Coach Feltsman’s summer camp.”

“Really?” Otabek made a soft hum of agreement. Yuri’s voice was soft as he added, “I don’t remember that.”

_ I wouldn’t have expected him to remember me. _ “At the time, I was in my first year in the junior division. But I couldn’t keep up with the Russian junior skaters, so I was put in the novice class.”

Otabek sighed as he leaned more heavily on his arms. “I’m not surprised that you don’t remember me. Honestly, I was terrible at it. The ballet instructor eventually decided that I was a lost cause. I’ve never done ballet since.”

Yuri’s eyes were wide. He said softly, “The foreign kid, the one that was so much older than us. I do… that was you?”

Otabek nodded. He smirked slightly. “Not that much older. A little over two years. But that’s when I first saw you. I remember, you had the unforgettable eyes of a soldier.”

“A soldier…?” Yuri’s voice was barely loud enough to be heard.

“They were, and still are, so determined.”

Yuri sighed softly. “More like desperate. I had just moved my home rink from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. I had to prove myself. I had to be the next prodigy. And I would do whatever it took to be good enough.”

_ Good enough? What does he mean by that? Even back then, he was excellent. And now… he’s extraordinary. _

Yuri shook his head. “Training with Yakov was my chance. I was willing to give up everything to win.”

“Are you still? Willing to give up anything?”

Yuri’s voice shook slightly. “I… I don’t know.”

Otabek closed his eyes briefly. “I have given up so much in order to win. My home, my family…”  _ I’m so tired of the sacrifices, of feeling like they’re too much, and yet at the same time not enough. _

He sighed deeply. “I’ve trained all over the world, or so it seems, trying to find a way to win. I only managed to return to my home rink in Almaty last year.”

“That must have been rough.”

Otabek nodded. “I hadn’t been home in all that time. Almost four years. So now that I’m home, more than ever I want to win. For Kazakhstan. For my family. For all of the people that believe in me.”

Yuri’s fist tightened. He turned to look at Otabek. “Otabek, why did you talk to me? I’m a rival, aren’t I?”

Otabek stared ahead, not daring to look at Yuri. “I’ve always thought that we were alike. That’s all.”  _ And I hoped, against all odds, that we might be soulmates. _

He turned towards Yuri, their eyes locking. Yuri’s eyes grew wide.  _ Does he see it? Has he finally noticed that our eyes are a mirror image of each other’s? _

Otabek held out his hand. “Are you going to be friends with me or not?”  _ If we aren’t soulmates, at least I can have this. _

Yuri nodded as he reached out to clasp Otabek’s hand. His fingers curled around Otabek’s. Otabek gasped as he watched Yuri’s left eye change, lighten from its dark brown and turn the same vibrant green as his right.

“...Soulmates…?” Yuri’s voice was shaky and quiet, heavy with disbelief.

Otabek nodded slowly. “We’re soulmates…”

“What are we gonna do now?”

***

After getting over the initial shock, they had found a little café, warmer and more private, where they could talk. Otabek couldn’t help but stare at Yuri.  _ I can’t believe this is happening. That I found my soulmate. And it’s Yuri.  _

Yuri stirred his soup distractingly. He looked up at Otabek. “So now what?”

“Yuri…”

Yuri clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Don’t. Please don’t call me that. It’s too formal.” He smiled weakly and gestured towards his eye. “I think we’re past that now. Call me Yura?”

Otabek nodded. “Yura. I could… move to Russia?”

“But you just got back home.”

Otabek reached across the table and brushed Yuri’s fingers with his. “I don’t care. I want to be where you are.”  _ He’s too young for us to even think about living together or anything, but I just want to know that he’s close. I can’t go back to Kazakhstan, knowing that my soulmate is so far away. _

“Are… you sure?” Yuri grabbed Otabek’s hand.

Otabek nodded. He opened his mouth to say more, to tell Yuri how he had thought of him all these years since he had first seen him, but a loud shout in Russian interrupted him.

“Yurio! Otabek! What a coincidence seeing you here!” Victor’s cheery call carried through the small café.

He looked up to see Victor and the Japanese Yuuri, with two women in tow whom Otabek didn’t know. A few minutes later they were joined by Phichit and Christophe. Phichit gasped as they moved to a larger table and he sat down across from Yuri and Otabek.

“Your eyes! Are you two soulmates?”

Otabek nodded as Yuri yelled, “It’s none of your damn business!”

Phichit laughed. “Congratulations!” He turned to the crowded café. “Hey, everyone! These two just found out that they’re soulmates!”

The patrons of the café clapped for them. Yuri sputtered angrily. Otabek could feel himself blushing.  _ This is really happening. We’re really soulmates.  _

_ I can’t believe that Yuri… no, Yura, he asked me to call him Yura, is really my soulmate. We hardly know each other. And things will be far from easy. I probably can’t move, can’t transfer coaches, until the end of the season. It seems so far away. _

_ But once I do, our life together will begin. _

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first (of 3) stories I have written for Soulmate Week, for the Day 1 prompt: Sight. I hope that you enjoyed it! I also have fics written for Day 5: Communication and Day 7: Free Day.


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